If you've ever sitting around a campfire dreaming of the far north, a barren ground caribou hunt offers almost certainly crossed your own mind. It's 1 of those bucket-list trips that seems a lot more like a time-travel expedition than a standard hunting trip. There's something regarding the vast, treeless expanse of the Arctic and sub-Arctic that humbles you the second you step off the floatplane. You're no more from the top of the food string or the middle of the universe; you're simply a small speck inside a land that hasn't changed much because the last ice age.
Looking caribou isn't quite like hunting antelope or whitetail. It's not about sitting down in a tree stand for hrs on end, waiting for a specific buck to exhibit up from 4: 30 PM. It's a game of movement, endurance, and sometimes, just plain old good fortune. The "barren grounds" aren't actually barren at all—they're teeming with life—but these are wide open, meaning you will see for mls, which is both a blessing and a curse.
The particular Magic of the Tundra Migration
The first thing you recognize on a barren ground caribou hunt is that these animals are the ultimate nomads. They don't have got a small house range. They are usually built to move. When you're standing upon a ridge plus see the first few "scouts" associated with a herd, it's an adrenaline rush like no some other. But then, you see the rest. Sometimes it's dozens, occasionally hundreds, and if you're really lucky, a large number of animals moving throughout the landscape like a river.
The sound is something nobody lets you know about. Caribou have these tendons within their feet that click on when they stroll. Each time a large team moves past a person, this might sound like a rhythmic, clicking machinery mixed with the grunts of the bulls. It's haunting and beautiful all at once. You're watching a cycle of nature that has been happening for millennia, and for a few days, you get to be a part of it.
But don't allow numbers fool you. Just because presently there are a large number of them doesn't mean it's easy. Caribou can cover ground faster than you'd think. You might spot a trophy bull two miles away and think you have plenty of time to cut your pet off, only in order to realize he's protected that distance in twenty minutes whilst you're still huffing and puffing more than a single peat bog.
The reason why Gear Matters Even more Than You Believe
I've observed guys head out there on a barren ground caribou hunt thinking their particular standard deer get away gear will suffice. It won't. The tundra is the gear-killer. One moment it's 50 levels and sunny, and the next, a horizontal sleet thunderstorm is trying to peel the skin off your encounter.
Layers are your best friend. I'm talking top quality merino wool bottom layers, a strong mid-layer for warmness, and rain gear that truly works. If your "waterproof" jacket starts soaking through on day 2 of a ten-day hunt, you're going to have a miserable time. You also need boots that can handle the "tundra sponge. " Walking on the particular tundra is like walking on a giant, water-soaked mattress. Every single step is really a workout, and if your ankles aren't backed, you're asking with regard to trouble.
Then there's the cup. Since you can see so far, you'll spend hours behind your binoculars and spotting scope. You need the best optics you are able to afford. Looking at distant gray rocks that look exactly like caribou rumps for eight hours a time will provide you with a head ache if you're using cheap glass. You're looking for that adobe flash of white through a bull's throat or the "rock" that suddenly grows antlers and begins moving.
Getting There is About half the experience
Obtaining to the workplace set ups area for a barren ground caribou hunt is generally a journey in itself. You'll likely find yourself on the bush plane—a Beaver or an Otter—loaded to the gills with equipment, fuel, and foods. There's nothing quite like looking out there the window of a small airplane as the trees start to slim out and ultimately disappear altogether.
The pilots who fly these routes are legends. They will land on small lakes or small bars that don't look big enough intended for a tricycle, not to mention a plane. As soon as that plane takes off and the sound from the engine fades to the distance, a very specific type of silence settles in. It's the particular silence of understanding you are hundreds of miles from the nearest street. It's exhilarating plus, if I'm getting honest, a small bit terrifying.
The Realities of Field Dressing within the Cold
So, you've place in the miles, performed the wind flawlessly, and finally harvested a beautiful bull. Right now the actual work starts. If you thought the particular hunt was the hard part, wait until you have to pack out some hundred pounds of meat and the massive set of antlers across two miles of ankle-busting tussocks.
Caribou meat is, in my simple opinion, some associated with the best crazy game on the particular planet. It's low fat, mild, and absolutely delicious. But you have to treat this right. Getting the particular hide off plus the meat cooled off is priority number 1, also if it's chilly out. The solid coat of a caribou is made to keep warmth in, which will be great for them but bad for your meat if you don't shift fast.
Plus those antlers? They're huge. Even a "representative" bull includes a stand that seems way too big because of its body. Carrying these back to camp is really a rite associated with passage. They catch the wind just like a sail and tug at on every willow bush within a ten-foot radius. Yet when you lastly get them back again to the camping tent and prop all of them up against the rock, it's a feeling of accomplishment a person won't find somewhere else.
Dealing along with the "Tundra Gremlins"
Every barren ground caribou hunt has the challenges, which I like to call the tundra gremlins. These are the particular little stuff that go wrong. Maybe your stove decides to quit, or a well bearded decides to check out your meat cache, or the weather turns so bad that the bush plane can't choose you up upon your scheduled day time.
You have to go into this with a flexible mindset. If you're the type of person who needs everything to visit specifically according to the schedule, the Northern will break you. You have in order to be okay along with eating freeze-dried foods for an additional three days or even sitting in the tent while the storm howls outside. It's all component of the encounter. The hardship is what makes the particular successful moments sense so earned.
Final Thoughts Just before You Book
A barren ground caribou hunt isn't just about the particular harvest. It's about the smell from the Labrador tea crushed under your shoes, the sight of the Northern Lamps dancing over your tent at two: 00 AM, and the sheer size of a panorama that doesn't care if you're there or not.
It's a physical challenge, for certain, but it's more of a mental one. You'll end up being tired, you'll become wet, and you'll probably be painful in places you didn't know a person had muscles. Yet I guarantee that will the moment you get home, you'll currently be looking with your calendar, attempting to figure away how soon you can get back again around.
There's a pull towards the barren environment that stays along with you. It's a raw, honest edition of hunting that will strips away typically the fluff and leaves you using the essentials: you, your equipment, and the great northern herds. If you get the chance to go, take it. Just make sure you provide extra socks plus a camera that can handle the cold. You're going in order to wish to remember every single second of this.